As a sales professional, you’ve got a lot of grit. You’re an expert in your space, a curator of information and a ruthless researcher. You bounce back from rejection every day. You’re tougher than Rudy and Rocky Balboa combined.

But even the grittiest sales teams scratch their heads when they face the same obstacles again and again. Let’s take a look at some common problems and an incredible tactic you’ve probably never considered.

Opening the Door

You’ve done your research and have contact information for the decision maker at a large account. But your calls and emails go unanswered despite your strong message. You know if you could just get your foot in the door and make the pitch, you’d land the new business.

Problem solved:

When people get a personal package in the mail, they don’t throw it away without opening it. While email and voicemail are important parts of your sales strategy, the same can’t be said for them.

Send the decision maker something she doesn’t expect: your collateral in printed form, along with a nice gift and a handwritten note. A tangible gift sails past the spam filter and lands right on the desk of the decision maker. Your note adds a personal touch that stands out.

Pro Tip: Send your package through FedEx to receive notice when your gift has arrived. Then time your follow-up call for right after she receives it. She’ll be excited to take your call so she can thank you for the thoughtful gift. Door officially opened.

Staying Top of Mind

Just like you, your leads are busy. Perhaps a hot prospect has cooled down as her internal workload grows. She expressed interest during your last meeting but needed more time to sell your solution within the company. It’s been two weeks and all you hear are crickets.

Problem solved:

Instead of placing another follow-up call, remind her of your pending contract with a gift that will surprise and delight. The more targeted the gift, the better. Came up on your last call that she’s a tech junkie? Send her a stylish gadget holder that organizes all of her devices. It will be just the push she needs to feel valued, re-engage and get your proposal moving again. Not to mention your thoughtfulness will blow her away!

Thoughtful items like this also create a natural advocacy for your company. She’ll show her coworkers (especially when they see her open the package) and relay the story every time she’s asked about her slick new gadget case. That keeps you top of mind.

Pro Tip: For even more impact, fill the gift with useful branded goodies, such as office supplies, a phone charger, memory stick or external hard drive. Not only is it a nice gesture, it ensures she’ll encounter your brand several times a day—prompting her to think of you.

Expanding Your Influence

Often, you have a champion, but he’s not the only stakeholder responsible for the final decision. Even if he’s the world’s best advocate, there’s only so much one man can do. You need a way to extend your influence to everyone involved and push the deal forward.

Problem solved:

This is when you bring out the big guns. It’s time to send what we like to call a Swag Bomb™—a giant box filled with high-quality branded products for the entire department.

Oversized packages with gifts for multiple team members create a buzz that spreads like wildfire. Everyone likes free stuff—and once he receives it, your contact is compelled to pass out the gifts, creating the natural opportunity to talk about who sent the package and why.

Pro Tip: Vary the contents of your Swag Bomb according to cost. Include a few t-shirts, a handful of water bottles and a lot of stickers. Assembling your Swag Bomb this way will save on shipping (because stickers are light) and still make a huge impact.

No matter where you are in the sales cycle, sending real stuff gets results. Studies show that people who receive gifts are 10 times more likely to respond when asked for something in the future1.

Want to see other scenarios like these? Check out our Idea Book for more tips on gifting.

Have you ever experienced the power of gifting yourself? Tell us about the impact it made on your sale in the comments below!

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About PFL

PFL is a Montana born and raised marketing technology company, headquartered just north of Yellowstone National Park. We provide sales enablement and marketing automation solutions, as well as printing, mailing and fulfillment services, to directly connect B2B and B2C organizations with cutting edge solutions that accelerate productivity and drive business forward.